


After The Fact

by rl4sb4eva



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, M/M, mention of death of a character from canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 14:51:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rl4sb4eva/pseuds/rl4sb4eva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU where Pettigrew doesn't make the change correctly.<br/>Just a short oneshot piece I wrote to make someone have 'feels'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After The Fact

Sirius doesn't see it fully, too busy shielding his eyes from the concrete flying towards him, and the blood splattering over his front, he catches a glimpse of an arm as a body is thrown past him and feels the hysterical laughter bubble up inside his chest, the pops of apparating wizards loud in the sudden silence.  
The split second of silence that allows him to throw his arm over his head and hit the ground, stunning spells flashing over him as the first ha spills past his lips. Before the world explodes in sounds as car alarms and shop alarms go off and screams start to claw at his ears.  
He whimpers when a hand stamps on his wrist and rough fingers wrench his wand away as the laughter spills over and his lungs heave, trying to drag in dust filled air and he starts coughing, laughing and feeling spittle fill his mouth as he spits blood to the floor and rougher hands pull him to his feet. Wandtips pressed against his face and he winces as a spark catches his lip, blood trickling down the side of his face.  
His eyes slowly focus on the carnage, water fountaining out of a broken main and running into the sewers tinged pink, Sirius catches sight of a finger lying at the edge of the crater, and looks around hurriedly, not expecting to see the man who has taken everything, and laughing even harder when he catches sight of a half transformed Peter lying over the hood of a nearby car, robes half off and wand broken in his hand, his face ashen tail lying crooked and clearly broken, and one side of his face furred and sporting a pointed ear.  
A wizard is leaning over him, and lifts one hand to check something and Sirius sees the small trickle of blood from the stump where his finger was and Sirius realises everything. Chest screaming for more air as he laughs and the tears run down his face, strong arms holding him rigid as he slumps forward.  
***  
Four hours, he's been sat there for four hours, chains wrapped over his arms and blood drying on his skin and clothes, he'd not bothered struggling when they dragged him away, and the winged memo that had appeared with instructions to bring him here he had almost ignored.   
He's had an itch behind his right knee for at least two hours, and his fingers are twitching against the arm rest to scratch it, he stops himself calling out for… He doesn't even want to think about it, about him.  
About the screaming argument, and the smashed living room, about shouting traitor and fucking halfbreed before he could catch himself and walk out. He doesn't think about Remus' eyes, swimming with unshed tears, and how he'd frozen still in the living room.  
***  
Six hours and someone finally comes to tell him that he's free to go, they tap the chair with a wand and walk out before Sirius can even try to get his shaky legs to hold him up.  
They don't and he crashes back to the floor, knee screaming in agony as he hits the flagstones, and he doesn't try to stand up again. He folds in on himself and lets tears slip down his face to the floor.  
***  
Six hours and 42 minutes after Peter manages to kill 13 muggles, and 37 minutes after Sirius falls to the floor, Remus walks into the courtroom, robes pulled tightly around him and his outdoor cloak still clasped at his neck and wet from rain. He moves quickly, shoes clicking against the stone steps as he moves towards the bundle of rags and fur lying in front of the chain wrapped chair. He crouches down, ruffling the shaggy hair on the dogs head before scooping him up and wrapping him in his robes.  
"Heavy bugger, aren't you Pads?"  
He makes it one step outside the courtroom before he apparates away, leaving a swirling cloud of dust and flaked blood to fall to the floor in his stead.  
Padfoot stirs as Remus lowers him to their battered sofa, and Sirius sits up, shaking his head to try to quiet the ringing that he's been trying to dislodge since the explosion. "Moony?"  
"I got a call about a stray dog from Dumbledore. He wondered if I'd have room to look after him." Remus busies himself with grabbing a flannel from the bathroom as he waits for Sirius to respond, wetting it with warm water and filling a small bowl, he brings both with him and sits on the living room table reaching out a dripping hand to wipe the flannel down Sirius' cheek, pink skin starting to bruise is revealed as Remus wipes away grime and blood, and wonders how much of it is other peoples.  
Sirius doesn't say anything until Remus moves to change the dirty water and his hand goes out to Remus' arm and his voice, cracking on the first word, says "Moony, don't go. Don't leave me."  
"I'm just changing the water, that's all." Remus winces slightly as Sirius' hand tightens, pressing hard into his arm.  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't, I wouldn't…" Sirius finally raises his eyes to meet Remus' when Remus lays a finger across Sirius lips and ssh's him.  
"It's ok."  
Sirius crumples forward, sliding to his knees on the floor and his arms going to wrap around Remus' waist as Sirius head lands in his lap.  
"It's not ok. Never ok, not if you leave."  
"I'm not going anywhere, Sirius. I'm not going anywhere. It's going to be ok." Sirius sobs, his shoulders shaking as Remus runs his hand through matted dark hair, breaking tangles apart gently with his nails, and grimacing at the flakes of dirt and blood that get stuck under his nails and fall to his trousers.  
***  
It takes half an hour for Remus to get Sirius into the bath, pulling his torn clothes away and trying to catalogue ever mar and bruise blooming on Sirius skin at the same time as he tries to look away and not think about what caused them.  
He's running on adrenaline and the lump in his throat is getting bigger with each passing hour as he nears burnout, but he's doing better than Sirius. And he manages to angle the shorter man into the bathtub and the hot clear water which turns grey and pink rapidly and has to be changed with a quick spell three times until it stays clear long enough for Remus to run cupfuls over Sirius hair, washing it twice with shampoo until the water runs clear down Sirius back and the water has cooled enough that he's shivering.  
Remus has been avoiding Sirius eyes since he got in the bath silent tears running down his face as he helps him from the water and wraps him in towels and bathrobes, using spells to dry him quickly. Sirius is leaning on him the whole time, his knee vividly coloured and unable to hold his weight for more than a few seconds at a time, and Remus quickly moves him towards their bed and sits him down with a gentle hiss of breath and a sigh of relief, and Remus pulls a book of household spells from under the bed as Sirius lies back against the mussed bedsheets.  
***  
They lie in bed for an hour after Remus gets Sirius' knee bandaged and healing, not saying anything, Remus' fingers running through Sirius hair and Sirius not moving more than an inch away from Remus.  
"Is it over?" Sirius says, when the room is dark and Remus is watching the stars through the window.  
"I hope so."  
"What about Harry?"  
"I'll speak to Dumbledore in the morning. I heard he's with muggle relatives."  
"What about us?"  
"We're here, we survived."  
"Yeah, I know that, but will we be ok?"  
Remus pauses, his hand stilling in Sirius hair, and the question hangs heavy in the air. There's still splintered furniture and a broken mirror in the front room to clear away, and they'll have to grieve, hide themselves away again until the press furore dies down, but there's hope, Harry's alive, they have each other, they aren't alone.  
"We'll be ok, Pads. We'll be fine."


End file.
